Rialto Beach

My dear hubby and I had a wonderful time celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary in the Pacific Northwest. Here are a few shots of Rialto Beach in Olympic National Park on the Pacific Coast. It was the first time we saw the Pacific, what a starkly lovely beach. We got there near 7pm, just in time for the upcoming sunset.

Stained

The hubby and I visited Glendale Cemetery in Akron on Saturday where we viewed several gorgeous mausoleums. It was a bright, sunny day --- terrible for photography but wonderful for viewing some stained glass windows inside these ancient tombs. I was shooting through the grates so please forgive some of the framing on these shots. The second to last one was a bust but you can see my reflection as well as what's behind me. ;-) I don't know what was in the snifter in the last shot, perhaps some fine cognac to toast the dead.

Zombies Ate My Brain

So where have I been? Well....

iPod Lurve

As you may have read in a previous post, I'm on a quest to get back into music and was searching for a way to turn my longings into a reality. Well Gentle Readers, I think I've found my answer in a small yet powerful device we all know and love called the iPod.

My DH (Dear Hubby) and I recently purchased 80 GB iPods and I've been enjoying loading it up with all sorts of delectable musical goodness, songs both old and new. Actually, a lot of the new stuff comes from my hubby who let me 'borrow' his iTunes library to get started. I've got everything in there from Robert Johnson to The Stabilisers to The Chili Peppas to Jethro Tull to Loggins and Messina to... well, the list goes on and on. I will say that I really enjoy hitting that shuffle function, wondering the whole time what will pop up next. The element of surprise really adds to my musical experience, it somehow makes things seem a little fresher, newer.

So right now I'm sitting here loading some of my fave cds into iTunes. I don't know if you know anything about my musical taste, it will take me freaking forever to load my entire catalog in this thing. We have an extra hard drive, I think we're going to have to break it out soon. ;-) Along with loading newer discs, I'm enjoying revisiting some of my old favorites. The Dukes of Stratosphear are loading as I type, Chips from the Chocolate Fireball is one of my favorite discs of all time. But my favorite musician I've loaded thus far today is the one and only Shawn Phillips. No one can croon like Shawn, he has one of the most interesting voices and musical styles I've ever had the pleasure of hearing. A talented musician, poet and human being, Shawn is a helluva nice guy to boot. I took this photo of him last time he was in Cleveland. He played at The Winchester to a completely mesmerized group of die hard fans. What a talent, what a doll...

So now I'll have to investigate new bands and artists, at least those who are new to me. I'll take any suggestions.... my lovely little black device has a ton of room for new musical experiences.

Now loading: If An Angel Came to See You, Would You Make Her Feel at Home? Black Oak Arkansas

"Preventative" Medicine?

I just returned from my dentist, who filed down a sharp tooth for me for no charge. 5 weeks ago I had a tooth pulled by an oral surgeon who encouraged me at that time to get my wisdom tooth pulled as well. He told me all sorts of horror stories about how many problems my now exposed wisdom tooth would give me, how I wouldn't be able to keep it clean, how I'd be begging him in two months to remove it. I told my dentist this who told me the oral surgeon had a vested interest in encouraging me to get it removed and also that said surgeon believes in removal of wisdom teeth as a 'preventative' measure to avoid potential futures problems that might never occur anyway. I'm glad for my dentist, I've been going to him for over 20 years and he hasn't steered me wrong yet.

So this begs the question: At what point is preventative medicine completely unnecessary and even harmful to your health?

In a day when fear mongers fill our heads full of the potential hazards of daily living I think this is something we need to think about.